Super-Duper giveaway!

Welcome anyone visiting via the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway day, nice to have you here.

I've gained access to a wonderful world of crafty folk since I started blogging and I guess participating in this giveaway is just my way of saying 'thanks'.

I'm happy to post internationally so all are welcome to enter.

So without further ado - let's get into it!

I'm giving away a Super-Duper shirt for either a girl or a boy - you get to choose.

Sizing is from 1 to 7 and I have a variety of colours for both the shirts and capes that I can make it in and so will correspond with the winner for preferences after drawing.

The Super-Duper consists of the superhero's initial appliqued on the front of the shirt and then a matching cape attached to the shoulders with press-studs, so you can remove it for easy washing.

Let's face it - superheroes get pretty dirty fighting crime.

Lots of superheroes in action - excuse the quality - they don't stay still for long!

I'm also tossing in a metre of paisley fabric in lovely blue tones (that's more than a yard for you non-metric types!)

and a fabric flower brooch for you to dress up your favourite summer top or winter coat, depending on which part of the world you are visiting from (there are a few colours so you get to choose).

To go into the draw, just leave a comment (including a way to contact you via blog or email) and let me know something for which you are thankful.

Too easy.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to come back once the giveaway frenzy is over!

You wear it well

A few ladies were thinking of trying out the Kyoko pattern and wondered about the fit.

At last I was able to get a modelled shot by my little miss, today being the first time she has worn it.

I have to say this is very true to size - if anything I might have made it a tiny bit longer, but as I've mentioned before, my girls have inherited their height from their 6ft 5inch tall dad - so length is generally an issue.

(Also I have found that US patterns tend to run short compared to Aussie ones, anyone else think this is the case??)

I made a size four and am really happy with the fit.
Miss L is tall for her age but a bit of a skinny little thing other than that.

The beauty of this top is that it is actually very wide without the Obi-style belt, the belt pulls it in to size.

Therefore it will fit different frame sizes simply by tightening the sash.

It was comfortable for her to run around the park in, the sash didn't slip or bulge or restrict her movement at all and she loved the wide sleeves (she kept making one hand 'disappear' up the other sleeve, magic!).

I hadn't put it on her til now, as this is not how I want her to wear it - I don't like mixing denim tones!

But I haven't had a chance to make a co-ordinating skirt/pants yet, and am still undecided as to what to make.

So help me out - what would you do?

Dark denim skirt with Red spotted bias trim edge?

Dark denim and/or red spotted straight skirt?

Dark denim and red spots tiered skirt, like this one from Grand Revival?

Red cord pants/skirt??

Dark demin pants with red spot detail.

Adding up

The number of birthdays at the moment are adding up to lots of sewing for me!

Here's a little 2+2 blouse from the range of patterns by New York company, oliver + s that I made for the birthday of another of my nieces.

This is made with some more of the lovely Park Slope range by Erin McMorris.

I found the measurements would have had this running a little short so I made a size 7 (despite the fact she was turning 5).

Of course I didn't think it through in that the sleeves were then far too long, so after trying it on my in-house model, I shortened them sleeves, and am pleased to report it fits her perfectly.

(the pic was taken before the sleeves were shortened!)

This was a lovely pattern to sew. It had a few things that I hadn't tried before with the way the buttonhole facing worked and also creating the pleated section at the front.

I didn't have any buttons that were 'just right' so I decided to go with self-covered buttons in the contrasting fabric.

So now it looks like I will have to add a few more of these to my ever-growing 'to do' list.

I'm heading out to this market tomorrow with the family and some friends. Hopefully I'll find something lovely to buy for myself and maybe some inspiration too.

PS - despite how it looks in the photo - the tab on the front actually is straight!!

EDIT TO ADD - the size 7 pattern with sleeves shortened by 8cm was a perfect fit on an average height five-year-old.

I feel this pattern runs a little short in the body, that's why I made the larger size.

Three reasons...

why I am loving my new camera.

Ruby Anna

I guess that's what you call an Anna dress made as a birthday gift for my niece Ruby?

I haven't made this pattern since the first time I did for another birthday gift, almost a year ago.

Not sure why - I guess I forgot about it, but it's easy to make and a really versatile Farbenmix pattern that I think will become one of my favourites.

I have plans to make it up in the 'top' length as well - and fully reversible.
This one wasn't fully reversible cos to make it in this size would use quite a lot of fabric.

It looks very long here, but keep in mind it's a size 134-140cm on a 108cm child! This shows you how versatile it is though - apart from the length, the fit doesn't look ridiculous given it's several sizes too large.

The flower is a pin or brooch so it can be taken off and put on the other side of the dress when it's worn the other way.

That's the versatile bit - you can turn this dress around and tie it the other way for a completely different dress.

Ruffles on one side, ribbon and ricrac on the other.

Check out some more versions here.

Excuse the pink ballet slippers peeking out the bottom of the dress and the serious face, you can only ask so much of your models really.

Face painting courtesy of the fairy where we had Mother's Day breakfast.

Made in 8oz demin with red topstitching throughout.

Baby Imelda

Miss G has a rather large shoe collection for one so young.

I guess it comes from having hand-me-down shoes from two older sisters who (for a time) wore the same size at the same time.

Hence no hand-me-downs for them, so twice the number of shoes.

When it came time for her baptism though the shoes her sisters wore were too small - by a good few centimentres I might add.

So rather than spend significant amounts of money on something that was going to be kicked off pretty quick, I tried out this pattern from Stardust shoes and it worked a treat.

The total cost for the baptism shoes, which were made in a lovely pin-tucked cotton with a cotton sateen ribbon was $4.05.

Seriously, you can't do better than that.

I made a sample pair first as I had to upsize the pattern as it is sized according to age, but her feet appear to be slightly on the long side.

Just as well I did as the sample pair were too large to be worn straight away but will go nicely with this top in a month or so.

Though by then this busy little lady could well be deciding it's time to walk (or perhaps fly)!!

Treat yourself

I've been lucky enough to meet some lovely crafty types at a handwork circle I've been going to at The Little Sparrow shop.

One of them is the very talented Kirstie or Princess Kirstie Jane as she is known in her blog.

She's recently completed making up kits you can use to make up her gorgeous felted brooches.

There are Love Birds, Owls, Mushrooms, a baby Butterfly and of course a Princess.

They use such goodies as 100% wool hand-dyed felt, upcycled fabrics and 100% cotton embroidery thread and include everything you need to make them - right down to the needle!

Check them out and give yourself a chance to win one by visiting here and leaving her a comment.

Well worth the effort I can tell you.

Good luck!

Tiny footprints

The girls are fascinated by all things 'fairy' at the moment.

So the man of the house decided to build them a fairy garden under a tree in our yard.

Fairies hanging from the tree watch over their friends on the ground.

There are toadstools and rocks to hide behind or under.

Fairy houses in which to live.

And a friendly cow and frog the fairies seem to have befriended.

We spent a morning painting and decorating rocks to get the sparkly coloured wonders you see before you!

There were also rocks with each of the girls' names on them, unfortunately heavy rains got the better of those ones.

(Note to self: consider the materials you are using for outdoor craft with regard to Melbourne weather!).

A few years ago I would have baulked at the idea of creating a space in our garden filled with such sparkly wonders as these.

But the very small amount of effort required to make this garden brings so much pleasure to two small girls in our household that I am happy to embrace the 'pinkness' of it all!

From another corner of the garden this wise old soul watches over the fairies.

But this is, most often, the view I see.

The full view of the fairy garden obscured by a small head gazing in to see what's been going on in fairyland while we've been asleep.

Looking for tiny footprints.

A touch of pretty

Mum and Dad visited yesterday and had with them a parcel of goodness, of the fabric variety of course.

There was one yard of fabric to come to make up the Andalucia birthday gift they got me, so of course it made sense to add a few extra yards to the bundle and a bit of ribbon too.


So this is some more Andalucia - Mod blooms with Mod Dot and Birdie Damask ribbon.

I plan to use the ribbons on the bottoms of pants and skirts and perhaps to trim the bottom of tops as well. It is thick and feels silky smooth and the colours are really rich.

Also some of the Flights of Fancy range by Paula Prass - this is Par Avion and Cobblestone in the summer colourway - can't wait to use this.


The details in the print are really lovely.



Paula has just released her new line of fabric called Summer Soiree and Patty Young has just released her new line too - Mezzanine.

Add them to the wish list I guess!

And I couldn't go past some more of the Sandi Henderson Ginger Blossom range, the print Ginger tile in both avocado and caribe.


This shirt I made in the avocado (the second one, scroll down a little) gets more comments than almost anything else I've made from the mum's at the park and playgroup - so I wanted to have a little more up my sleeve.

Got it covered

More of my sewing efforts while camera-less.

After hunting high and low for doona/duvet covers in red and navy with a girl theme to them (all red and navy things seemed to include trucks, fire engines or nautical themes), I decided to make covers for the girls' new beds myself.

So armed with white drill, navy pindots and red gingham I set about making these.

36 metres of rolled-hem and 18 metres of ruffling combined with six reverse appliques with hand stitched outlines - and here is the result.

They came up really well and are simple but quite effective.

The two are slightly different - with the reverse colours used on the other one and the hearts again positioned so they come across the cover to toward the centre of the room at the foot of bed.

I was going mad trying to iron them until I found a fabulous ironing tip here. So a big thanks goes to Tamara and her mum - you really saved my sanity!

The Itchy and Scratchy show

Whenever I mention any of my sewing/crafting exploits to a friend of mine - his standard response is "don't tell because I don't care, I'm not interested!"

I have been telling him that he should take an interest (or at least humour me with a polite "oh that's nice") or I would make him hessian underpants.

Some people just don't listen.

So on his birthday on April 1st (an appropriate date some might say!) a pair of lime green hessian undies were included as part of his birthday gift.

The three-year olds chose the colour - lovely!

But I wasn't too unkind.

Remember the great Santa suit washing fiasco last year?
I rescued the pink faux fur that I cut off and apart from using this for the trim, I lined the gusset with it.

Oooh comfy!


But what to do with the pom pom from the end of the hat, well what else would you do?
It was a few days before Easter when I gave them to him after all.

Hooked?

I have to say, it wasn't love at first sight.

At first I found you complicated, hard to grasp, tight and frustrating.

But as time goes on I find you're growing on me.


I'm not as tense and anxious, so you end up looking better; looser, more relaxed.

And you are pretty versatile; very portable, able to picked up and put down at a moments notice, suitable for car trips and nights in front of the telly.

I suspect that by the time you are a finished hat I will have grown to love you.

How these clever ladies whip through you like they do I will never understand.
I was pleased to hear though, that I am not the only one to find you trying!

Thanks Shelley for introducing me to your time-consuming friend - crochet.
And persevering with my jumbled stitches!